1855: A History of the Bordeaux Classification
"Wine Book of the Year"—James Beard Award
"Best Wine History Book"—Perigord International Cookbook Show
The 1855 Classification is a key to understanding quality in Bordeaux. This is the first—and only—book to look behind the myths that have surrounded this list for 150 years. Four years of research based on original documents have produced the clearest idea yet on how this document came to be, who was responsible for its creation, and why properties were included (or excluded) at a given rank.
Did you know that:
- The classification was not "invented" in 1855, but evolved from dozens of earlier rankings
- No invitation was issued to the châteaux to submit wines for classification
- No tasting was done to choose the wines
- Most of the châteaux on the list never even sent wines to the 1855 Exposition in Paris
- There was a basic, historical reason why wines from Saint-Emilion and the Graves were not included in the list
- Mouton Rothschild's second growth rank was not an accident: the château's position was firmly fixed through an active decision of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce
- Mouton's 1973 promotion to a first growth was the 1855 classification's second change
- The classification's official revision has been underway for over 20 years
Read a sample passage here.
1855: A History of the Bordeaux Classification has become a valued gift at wine-related events. Information on bulk sales is available here.
This is a remarkable book, both useful and thorough. In addition, it reads like a detective story—a real "page turner" you might say. It may not surprise you to know that I learned much in these pages. I appreciate your modesty as a researcher and historian, and the distance and respect you show for events, practices, and people.
Jean-Michel Cazes
Dewey Markham has done us all a service in bringing to light a history which supports certain legends but gives the lie to others (and not small ones either) in a striking fashion.
Nicholas Faith
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